Big Beat

I really dislike numerous displays set up around the car, as they make it hard to take a good photo. I don't like open hoods for the same reason, unless that engine really is something special - like an original 6 cylinder in a Camaro, or a nicely detailed straight eight Packard, etc. I also find that a lot of clutter around the car leads to things getting stepped on, knocked over, etc. I always display my own car closed and locked, with nothing around it. I do display a few small things that fit on the dashboard - a small framed history of the car, a dealer' scale model in the same color as my car, plus the original manual and sales brochure. When I'm around the car, I can always open and show anything that somebody wants to see, and when I'm away looking at other cars, I'm not worried about leaving it unattended.

That is really cool. Recently I needed to replace the battery on my '79 Chevy. Jammed between the fender and the battery tray, I found the original cap for the washer fluid tank, which was missing when I bought the car 12 years ago. At the time, I just put on a junkyard replacement, but it always bothered me that the style didn't quite match the other caps. And all along the original cap was with the car and is now proudly in its place again.

The movie was based on the 1943 book "Excuse My Dust", by Bellamy Partridge. I have this book and it's one of my favorites. From what I understand, it's quite different from the film, which I haven't seen yet, but it's well worth picking up if you come across a copy. Partridge also wrote "Fill 'Er Up" and a few other books about the early cars.

My stepfather was a bus driver 40-50 years ago. He told me a story how he and a couple of his friends at the bus depot who were also practical jokers, told a rookie driver whose bus wasn't running right to collect some exhaust gas and bring it over to the depot mechanics for analysis. They explained the proper procedure and handed him a big glass jar. The young guy stood behind a running bus with the jar for several minutes, trying to capture the exhaust gas.

Which is exactly what I did when I bought my '79 Monte. Even for something as (once) common as that, it was a very long search before the right one came along. I have written up that whole story on another site, if anyone's interested: http://www.curbsideclassic.com/cars-of-a-lifetime/coal-1979-chevrolet-monte-carlo-time-is-on-my-side/ So I am a living illustration to all the above comments. When I bought an old car, it wasn't a Model A or a '57 Chevy, it was one from my teens, something with a very personal connection. And I made sure that it was hands down the nicest and most original example of that model that I could find. But when it comes to older cars that interest me, anything in that kind of condition will be more than I can spend. So unless I get very lucky somehow, it would have to be some kind of project, even if not necessarily a total restoration. Unless the predictions are right and by the time I can justify owning more than one old car, they will become more affordable.

It's not the initial purchase. Practically anyone can scrape together a few hundred or a few thousand to buy some kind of old car. But that is only the first installment. To someone not able to do most of the work themselves, the cost of the restoration becomes prohibitive very quickly. In my case, there is also not enough spare time due to work and family demands, nor any ready storage space for another car. This is exactly why I wrote above about an accumulation of neglected project cars. There were many cars that I could have probably managed to buy over the years. But even if I found some place to store it, even if the car in question would be in decent enough condition to remain in running order while the work on it was being done, I knew that the process would drag on for many, many years because realistically I just wouldn't be able to devote enough time or money to it. Some people are happy enough to buy an old car, let it sit somewhere and dream about "some day". I'm not that person. But I'll be ready when my "some day" comes.

I'm 50 years old and have been into old cars since long before I was old enough to drive. I wanted to get into the hobby as a teenager, but had neither the money nor the space to keep a car off the street. Maintaining one car was hard enough then. In my 20s I could not afford anything but marginal junk. My first and only project car was a '70 Pontiac Catalina, which eventually had to be junked due to a rusted frame. It made me realize that I am not a restorer and that a decent hobby car was out of my league. For the next 10-15 years, I put the dream on hold. I was still going to Hershey, still buying car history books, but there was no car to back all that up, though once I almost bought a '58 Chevy. In my late 30s, I finally pulled the trigger on a nice, clean '79 Monte Carlo - exactly like my first car that I owned as a teen, right down to the color. It's a very nice car and I enjoy it very much. But if I hadn't bought it when I did, I probably wouldn't be able to justify the expense at current prices. And anything more "interesting" than a Monte, I can still only dream about. My main interest is in the cars of the 1940s to the early 1950s - definitely pre-dating any possible personal experience - but realistically, I cannot see myself being in the market for another old car anytime soon. While I have more resources now than I did when I was younger, a serious project is still a non-starter and decent examples of cars that really interest me are still out of my league. So to me, the hobby isn't really dying, it was always a bit out of reach. And if you're wondering why cars aren't selling, well, I'm one example. Under different circumstances, I might have been one of those hoarders with a property full of rotting "someday-I'll-restore-its". Thankfully, I'm disciplined enough to enjoy and preserve one good car, even if it's just a '79 Chevy, rather than a junkyard full of unattainable dreams.

I have infinite respect for good police officers who do their jobs properly. But a lot of them are such idiots, and quite a few are so drunk on their power over regular citizens that psychiatric help is is order. I am totally not surprised at this incident. Sad, angry, shocked - but not surprised. And god forbid you try to protest while one of these idiots is ruining your day for no good reason other than their own incompetence. "If you complain, they're gonna get vicious / Kick in your teeth and charge you with assault" (MC5).

Other than the obvious (Corvettes, Grand Nationals, certain BMWs and Porsches, Firebirds, Mustangs, Eldorados, boat-tail Rivieras, DeLoreans, etc.) that are already established, if not necessarily universally appreciated collectibles, the most interesting cars of the malaise era in the future are going to be simply clean examples of regular everyday cars. Already there is a kind of indifference among many towards the typical street rods, muscle cars and pony cars that have long dominated car shows and a growing appreciation towards "survivor" little old lady cars that were once passed up by enthusiasts as common. I know that I personally can no longer see the typical muscle car as anything but a "been there, done that", long-since-jumped-the-shark kind of thing, but am still nostalgic to see a nice, well preserved old Matador, Grand Am or Satellite - stuff that was once so common that I wouldn't look twice at it back in the day, but that has long since disappeared from our everyday life. If you look at old photos of car shows, the cars in the background are now just as antique as the ones on display. Well, today I'd probably be more interested to stroll through a c. 1970s - 1980s parking lot than through that show field. Just as with prewar cars today, just about any one that survives is interesting enough to preserve, even though some are more interesting and/or valuable than others. Any car that defines its era and brings back memories will be collectible in the future, some will just achieve that distinction a little faster.

I've never had more than one collector car at a time. I bought and sold a few old cars, until I ended up with a keeper that's been with me for 9 years now. And even with just one car, running and registered, I rarely have the time to give it the exercise and attention it needs. Life just has a way of intervening. Yeah, maybe if I had the space, the funds, the time, lacked other interests and priorities... well, that's too many ifs. Just enjoy what you got every chance you get, whether it be one or many, because at some point, time does run out.

My pet peeve is vendors who chase you off if you try to take a picture of something. I usually ask first, too. One guy had a sign that I tried to photograph, and he was all over me, yelling that "the Museum is down the road, this stuff is for sale". He was right: I had absolutely no interest in purchasing that sign. But he also had a book that I was thinking of buying. After he gave me attitude, though, I walked off and eventually bought the same book from another vendor. Comes Saturday, this guy may well wonder why his sales are down.

Ever seen a sign that says "Price subject to change according to customer's attitude"? Believe it. A positive attitude is key. Too many buyers point out flaws with disgust, like the owner is a vile person for trying to sell them their junk, or they whine with a sense of entitlement, like every scratch is cause for immediate discount, or they act slick, like they're on the make and the seller is just another sucker to cheat out of their stuff so that it can be flipped for a profit. Any of that can make the price go up, or make the seller uncooperative. So as a buyer you need to position yourself in a way that avoids all that. Be positive, polite, open. Instead of saying in effect "This piece of junk isn't worth your delusional price, but I'll take it if you agree to give it away for peanuts", say something like "Aw, what a nice car, too bad it's in such sad shape. I'd love to restore it back to its former glory, but I can only offer you so much for it, considering the condition". Always works for me.

I always hated the quad-headlight '80 Monte Carlo vs. the much cleaner '78 & '79. Also the '70 Chevelle is nowhere near as pretty as the '68 & '69, and VW should have never got rid of the split rear window.

I do not believe any of the computer era cars will ever become classics, other than simply as classic examples of their era. A few obvious and predictable examples (Mustang, Corvette) and high-profile oddballs (Hummer, Prowler, Aztec) will be more collectible than others. The rest is simply a function of age. In another 50 years, Tauruses and Voyagers will have some collector interest. Just like any 50-60 year old car is collectible today by default, regardless of make and model. And I agree, enough with the "deceased equine violence", please.

Honda/Acura, Toyota/Lexus, Chevrolet/Cadillac. It seems that the current business model requires only two brands per company, one standard, one upscale. GM has now alligned itself with this new reality. And if it hadn't been for Buick's popularity in China, it would be just as gone, too. I dreamt of owning a 1960s Pontiac in my teens, and owned one in my 20s. I still have a soft spot for the "good ones", right up to the early 1980s. But it has been a very long time since a Pontiac interested me. While sad, it's not surprising at all.

Most antique cars found in Russia tend to be German cars of the late 1930's. In other words, those that were taken out of Germany immediately after WWII. These led a very rough life in Russia in the 1950's and 1960's, patched together poorly with all sorts of non-original parts. As soon as the Soviet car production picked up towards the mid-60s, these cars were junked in a zillion scrap metal drives. Road and weather conditions didn't help, either. The examples that survive are usually in such rough condition that proper restoration is almost never cost-effective. And prices for these cars are far higher in Russia than in Europe. There may have been a few newsworthy finds, but unless you're a big fan of late 1930s Opels and BMWs, there is really not much of interest. Occasionally, some interesting later cars show up. For example, I remember seeing a Studebaker Avanti in Moscow in the late 1970s. It looked like an alien spaceship that somehow got lost in the wrong galaxy. I wonder what happened to it.

Here are some pics. This is a representative sample, there's more of them. Any interest?

There are a few like that. Email me at bigbeat_66(at)yahoo(dot)com, I'll send you some pics, and you can make me an offer.

I have several trophies from old car shows, mostly from the 1960s, acquired, along with some literature, from the family of a gent that owned a Model T Ford back then. Is there any interest in these?

Very nice Caprice! I love Chevys of that era. Here's mine:

Well, I discovered all that the hard way

This was my first Hershey. I could only be there for one day, and since I didn't particularly need anything from the flea market, I chose Saturday. I expected it to be the busiest day, since it was the weekend. I got there around 10 am and expected to spend the whole day. Well, by noon, the flea market was already empty. By one o'clock, the cars were already leaving the show field, before I could check out most of them. I walked around a bit since I was already there anyway, but it was very disappointing. Had I known, I might as well have stayed home, really. The biggest impression on me was made by a very friendly older gent with a Model T that was in his family since new. I got a quick lesson in operating those pedals, which was fun. The best deal I saw in the car corral was a yellow 1985 Eldorado with leather and sunroof for $2500. Being that I own a '79 Chevy in the same color, I must have appreciated it more than other people who hurried past it. It would have made a great daily driver for someone. My only puchase was a 50 cent AACA sticker. I'll be back next year, though.

Cool, a Gaz-21 Volga. What year? What's the story behind that one? How is the Pobeda doing, what kind of work did you have to do on it? Last month I saw a ZIM in Brooklyn. Too bad I didn't have my camera.

Not necessarily a flop, as it was very popular in its day, but I never understood rumble seats. I cannot imagine climbing into that narrow padded hole in the trunk, without tripping over the tail light, slipping off the fender and falling off nose first into the pavement... Especially on enclosed cars, just seems like a dumb idea.